BULAWAYO – Thokozani Khupe has opened a new flank in her battle to seize control of the MDC-T party after asking a court to stop the disbursement of Z$149,859,000 (about US$1.3 million) to a faction led by her rival, Douglas Mwonzora.
In the application filed at the Bulawayo High Court on Friday, Khupe affirmed that she was the interim leader of the MDC-T, accusing Mwonzora of automatically expelling himself by claiming to lead another party, the MDC Alliance.
Khupe is seeking to interdict the ministers of justice and finance from making the disbursement under the Political Parties Finance Act. Political parties get an annual allocation of money from treasury based on their electoral performance at the last election.
The MDC-T, helped by controversial court decisions, usurped the MDC Alliance is now in line to make rich pickings from treasury.
The MDC-T suspended Khupe as Mwonzora’s deputy on January 12. Khupe in town announcing a “split” in the party, which she is now recanting.
“While I am on record as having declared a split on January 21, 2022, I am advised that the true legal position is that Mwonzora had been automatically expelled from membership of the MDC-T on account of his political association with or support of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, leaving myself, as the acting president of the party, in charge of its affairs in that capacity,” Khupe says in an affidavit submitted in court.
“For all intents and purposes, it should be recognised that I am the acting president of the MDC-T and therefore entitled to demand that the Z$149,850,000 be deposited in the following bank account AFC, Movement for Democratic Change (T), Branch Bulawayo, Account Type: Corporate Account, Account Number: 100001481945.”
Mwonzora has vowed to oppose Khupe’s application.
